Madison business invited to the White House to accept special grant

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Big business starts with an idea and a plan. One Madison company is taking their passion to teach robotics to kids and turning it into a way to help other businesses grow, and their efforts are gaining national recognition.

It’s a hands on playground for kids who love robotics.

At MindGear Labs in Madison, kids are learning math and science.

“Our biggest thing is that we built for teaching stem classes related and then we teach those classes as well so we are doing both that after school summer camps winter camps and curriculum development,” Rob Adams, managing member at MindGear Labs and Chairman of the Board at Rocket City Launch said.

It was the success of MindGear that got Adams and his team thinking about the other opportunities to launch and grow businesses right here at home.

“Rocket City Launch is a spin-off of MindGear as its own nonprofit, help people with business ideas that involve advance manufacturing to create business and build the industrial space in North Alabama.” Adams said.

“We had one Madison business that went out and applied a federal grant,” Madison Mayor Troy Trulock said.

The grant launched MindGear and Rocket City Launch to the national forefront.

“The concept of Rocket City Launch was to help people with ideas launch businesses. In May we had an event where we had people come in and pitch their ideas and form teams, design a prototype and a business plan to pitch out to potential investors. So we wanted to carry that forward and we saw the opportunity with the SBA,” Adams said.

“There were only 50 businesses across the country that won the grant, we were the only business in Alabama that was selected to get an invitation to go to the White House,” Truclock said.

Building entrepreneurial opportunities for adults, and robots for kids, MindGear Labs and Rocket City Launch are working together to bring more business to the city of Madison.

MindGear Labs is open on weekend and evenings so students have a chance to work on their projects. They also work with entrepreneurs and small business to help grow their ideas.